We are so excited to have the lovely Jana from The Secret Kitchen on the blog this week sharing some mouth watering plant based recipes from her up and coming cook book The Secret Kitchen- Intuitive Eating. Jana works out of the swoon worthy Orchard Street in Bondi, Sydney as a naturopath and doubles as a dreamy plant based chef. She is currently in the final stages of crowd funding for this beautiful publication. To get your hands on a copy and support this beautiful publication pop over to her page here: Cook book- The Secret Kitchen Book – Intuitive Eating, now available to preorder: http://www.thesecretkitchen.net/book,

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SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI

Author: Jana Brunclikova- BHSc Naturopath & Plantbased chef

Sweet potato is unique among comfort foods in that it is beneficial even for those with heavy digestive symptoms. Unlike dairy products, potatoes, and other common comfort foods like pasta, sweet potatoes feel light in the stomach, while still being nourishing. Sweet potato is supportive for digestion and contains ample fibre to encourage good elimination. Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, which means they can satisfy the appetite for long stretches. Despite the name "sweet," it also may be a beneficial food for diabetics as it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels.

Method:

Serves 2 I Preparation Time: 30 minutes I Cooking Time: 30 minutes

2 sweet potatoes

1 clove garlic, pressed

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 egg from happy chooks

2 cups all-purpose organic flour or spelt flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, or until soft to the touch. Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to work with, remove the peels, and mash them, or press them through a ricer into a large bowl. Blend in the garlic, salt, nutmeg, and egg. Mix in the flour a little at a time until you have soft dough. Use more or less flour as needed.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. While you wait for the water, make the gnocchi. On a floured surface, roll the dough out in several long snakes, and cut into 1-inch sections. Drop the pieces into the boiling water, and allow them to cook until they float to the surface. This takes about 3-5 min. Remove the floating pieces with a slotted spoon, and keep warm in a serving dish.

I like to serve them with a dash of olive oil fried with sage to infuse the beautiful aroma, on a bed of fresh rocket with my vegan cheese which you can find in my up coming cookbook.

If you prefer creamy gnocchi you can use the below recipe from my upcoming Cook Book – Intuitive eating:

CREAMY TOFU AND OREGANO PASTA SAUCE

Serves 2 I Preparation Time: 15 minutes I Cooking Time: 15 minutes

50g tofu

½ c hot water

¼ c tahini

2 T miso paste

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 t dried or fresh oregano

1 garlic clove (minced)

¼ cup water

fresh ground pepper to taste

Blend the together tofu, hot water, tahini, miso and pepper. Add the parsley, oregano and garlic and blend again until smooth, adding water to help lubricate the mixture. Heat the mixture over low temperature, stirring often, until hot.